Friday, June 03, 2011

I found this historic photo that was taken on the southwest side of Chicago at My Link page "Dave's Electric Railroads", located to the right of Your computer screen.

The area around the intersection of South Kedzie Avenue and West 67th Street in Chicago's Marquette Park neighborhood, is all much too familiar to Me.

For many years, I rode the Chicago Transit Authority's Route # 52A, South Kedzie Avenue bus line to West 111th Street and South Kedzie Avenue in Chicago's Mount Greenwood neighborhood, and passed through the location of this photo at Marquette Park. This intersection, was originally the south terminal for the Chicago Surface Lines Route # 52 Kedzie / California Avenue line, and the Route # 17 Kedzie Avenue line during the streetcar era.

After the takeover of the Chicago Surface Lines by the newly formed Chicago Transit Authority in 1947, buses were substituted on this line during weekends begining in 1952. The CTA Route # 52 Kedzie / California Avenue line, was converted from electric streetcar to motor bus operation on May 30th, 1954.At this time, the south terminal was relocated to South Kedzie Avenue and est 63rd place a few blocks to the north of this photo location. The first motor buses used, were several old gasoline powered White ex CSL buses based out of the Archer Avenue garage at South Archer Avenue and West Pershing Road. ( Recently closed by the CTA)

On December 24th, 1955, this route was converted to electric trolleybus operation. CTA assigned the 1951 and 1952 vintage Narmon Harrington trolleybuses to this line, and operated them until the line was converted once again to motor bus operation on March 15th, 1969. During that time in 1969, the old two lane streetcar swing bridge crossing the Chicago sanitary and Ship Canal at approximately South Kedzie Avenue and West 33rd Street wich dated from the early 1900's, was decomissioned and dismantled on site. It was replaced with a standard stationary bridge in 1970, wich is still in use today.